Day 4
The day started with the same monsoon type weather that seems to be set for the week. We had plans to ride a long route today, but the weather clearly was not happy for us to this. Also the Rapha Condor pros advised us against a long ride. They were to do 3 hours instead of 6 or so.
A decision was made to wait until lunch time and reassess. The RAAM riders spent the morning in the gym, Marco did managing tasks and planning, and I worked on the bikes and worked with my mentor Andy Verrall. Amazingly he let me carry out some work on a couple of the pro's time trial bikes. I must say, that was an honour!
The rain did subside and we rode a shortish ride around the local area which amounted to around 32km. Not far, but as always when riding with the RAAM boys, bloody challenging. I wasn't sure who was leading, probably Paul but whoever it was managed to find a small town which to me might as well have been built on the side of a mountain! Not content with riding round it and up its steep inclines, we went round for a second time. I hung on the back for dear life (a term you will see me using often), then just when I saw the final roundabout which indicates we are 10km from the complex..... we turn right and go round for a third time!! Bloody hell.
As it happened I actually found this final lap easier and stayed with the others. Marco was on this ride too, as neither of us were needed as support, and he stayed right up there with Paul & Karl.
When exciting the third loop, as I said we came to a now very familiar roundabout which indicates there is only 10km to go. This by the way is the finishing part of nearly all of our rides. A pattern is now emerging, quite a cruel one too. As soon as we exit the roundabout it becomes a 10km race to the finish. Now I'm not sure if this is a wise thing or not, and everybody blames each other for increasing the pace, even I get blamed and all I'm doing is hanging on for dear life. Personally I think Paul is to blame (ouch - that will come back and bite me).
Not sure what speeds we do along this road as I can't bring myself to look down at my Garmin for fear of coming into contact with one of the others, or hitting a pothole etc.
The finish line is a welcome sight, but there is no winning glory for me this time.
A good day overall, and the bit I like at the end is when the others leave me to clean the bikes and prepare them for the next day's riding. I work along side Andy V and we tend to put the world to rights, in our own little mechanics world.
Chow for now.
The day started with the same monsoon type weather that seems to be set for the week. We had plans to ride a long route today, but the weather clearly was not happy for us to this. Also the Rapha Condor pros advised us against a long ride. They were to do 3 hours instead of 6 or so.
A decision was made to wait until lunch time and reassess. The RAAM riders spent the morning in the gym, Marco did managing tasks and planning, and I worked on the bikes and worked with my mentor Andy Verrall. Amazingly he let me carry out some work on a couple of the pro's time trial bikes. I must say, that was an honour!
The rain did subside and we rode a shortish ride around the local area which amounted to around 32km. Not far, but as always when riding with the RAAM boys, bloody challenging. I wasn't sure who was leading, probably Paul but whoever it was managed to find a small town which to me might as well have been built on the side of a mountain! Not content with riding round it and up its steep inclines, we went round for a second time. I hung on the back for dear life (a term you will see me using often), then just when I saw the final roundabout which indicates we are 10km from the complex..... we turn right and go round for a third time!! Bloody hell.
As it happened I actually found this final lap easier and stayed with the others. Marco was on this ride too, as neither of us were needed as support, and he stayed right up there with Paul & Karl.
When exciting the third loop, as I said we came to a now very familiar roundabout which indicates there is only 10km to go. This by the way is the finishing part of nearly all of our rides. A pattern is now emerging, quite a cruel one too. As soon as we exit the roundabout it becomes a 10km race to the finish. Now I'm not sure if this is a wise thing or not, and everybody blames each other for increasing the pace, even I get blamed and all I'm doing is hanging on for dear life. Personally I think Paul is to blame (ouch - that will come back and bite me).
Not sure what speeds we do along this road as I can't bring myself to look down at my Garmin for fear of coming into contact with one of the others, or hitting a pothole etc.
The finish line is a welcome sight, but there is no winning glory for me this time.
A good day overall, and the bit I like at the end is when the others leave me to clean the bikes and prepare them for the next day's riding. I work along side Andy V and we tend to put the world to rights, in our own little mechanics world.
Chow for now.
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